Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[Henriettasmum]

@satay I am so sorry about Mr Frizz

Always sad when one of our beloved pets passes on.

I can't remember who mentioned the Hensafe automatic door to me, but mine arrived today. What a marvellous invention. It was really easy to set up, and it just worked.

I hope it lasts!

Slightly off topic, does anyone else have parrots?

Re: parrots - only wild, in the garden. Lorikeets, pale-headed parrots and others that I can't identify. But all absolutely a delight to watch while sitting on my verandah in the sunshine, enjoying a coffee!

 

[SilkieChickStar]

Re: parrots - only wild, in the garden. Lorikeets, pale-headed parrots and others that I can't identify. But all absolutely a delight to watch while sitting on my verandah in the sunshine, enjoying a coffee!

We get a lot of Sulphur Crested cockatiel, Galahs and rainbow lorikeets around here.

The chickens hate it when the cocktails fly over lol.

 

[Henriettasmum]

We get a lot of Sulphur Crested cockatiel, Galahs and rainbow lorikeets around here.

The chickens hate it when the cocktails fly over lol.

We don't get galahs around our place (FNQ) but sulphur crested and black cockatoos are very common. My chickens go on alert when any large bird flies overhead; also the guinea fowl watch the sky closely - that's probably after having hawks take a few of my hens and a young guinea fowl - before we built a scarecrow. It's rather ugly, but works brilliantly.

 

[SilkieChickStar]

We don't get galahs around our place (FNQ) but sulphur crested and black cockatoos are very common. My chickens go on alert when any large bird flies overhead; also the guinea fowl watch the sky closely - that's probably after having hawks take a few of my hens and a young guinea fowl - before we built a scarecrow. It's rather ugly, but works brilliantly.

I meant cockatoos lol not cockatiel

 

[Anniebee]

We don't get galahs around our place (FNQ) but sulphur crested and black cockatoos are very common. My chickens go on alert when any large bird flies overhead; also the guinea fowl watch the sky closely - that's probably after having hawks take a few of my hens and a young guinea fowl - before we built a scarecrow. It's rather ugly, but works brilliantly.

Have not got a scarecrow - yet. But as the massive elm at the back, drops it's leaves - thick carpet of gooey muddy leaves all over, and very difficult to rake up - certainly cannot be leaf blown - - - there will be plenty of available 'seeing' area into the runs.

So - when hawks are looking to feed their young ( they will probably do so late winter, early spring.) That's when a scarecrow goes up, this year.

They do a superb job of keeping offenders at bay.

 

[Anniebee]

Mine had pumpkin smash today , served it warm even the babies enjoyed it. Hubby was introduced to the anatone by a lovely vet at Werribee 2 years ago. She was camping next to them at Aus champs and had nasty leg injury with one of her horses, hubby helped her with some dressings and gave her some supplies. She so appreciated his new information on wound care that she gave him a 5 litre drum of anatone. Apparently she was the Australian rep . We have used it since at the first sign of trouble. It's only recently that I became aware of its use for other animals.

The game bird finisher is a little expensive but with your flock it would last a while. As with all chook food , just be sure to store it well and prevent moisture and sunlight from depleting the nutritional goodness in it.

Have book marked the Anitone website, and will purchase it on-line. At 0.5 > 1 ml per chicken, it would last a long time - in the kitchen pantry. I am paranoid about keeping everything 'chook' clean and dry. Straw, wood shavings and food.

It was a wonderful experience, your hubby helping the vet. with injured horse, and she returning the favour with the Anitone. Gives nice feelings all round - hope her horse improved rapidly.

I have to wait for IGA market days, to get pumpkin at around 49 > 69c per kg. Have never seen any at 15c ? Aldi might sell it cheaper, but I don't do Aldi. !!

Would love to smash up even a quarter pumpkin for my girls - I wonder if they'd know what to do with it.??

They occasionally get cooked pumpkin and ground up fresh pumpkin seeds, but then they are spoilt brats. I chop everything very small for them except cabbage which they pick at and pull apart. I remove all outer leaves of anything, because of the pesticides / insecticides that are sprayed liberally over commercial crops.

Will get some pumpkin for them only, when next it is on market day special. We eat a lot of it, especially made up as soup with a touch of ginger flavour to it.

Cheers .......

 

[Fancychooklady]

Have book marked the Anitone website, and will purchase it on-line.   At 0.5 > 1 ml per chicken, it would last a long time - in the kitchen pantry.   I am paranoid about keeping everything 'chook' clean and dry.   Straw, wood shavings and food.  

It was a wonderful experience, your hubby helping the vet. with injured horse, and she returning the favour with the Anitone.   Gives nice feelings all round - hope her horse improved rapidly.

I have to wait for IGA market days, to get pumpkin at around 49 > 69c per kg.   Have never seen any at 15c ?     Aldi might sell it cheaper, but I don't do Aldi. !!     

Would love to smash up even a quarter pumpkin for my girls - I wonder if they'd know what to do with it.??   :/  They occasionally get cooked pumpkin and ground up fresh pumpkin seeds, but then they are spoilt brats.   I chop everything very small for them except cabbage which they pick at and pull apart.    I remove all outer leaves of anything, because of the pesticides / insecticides that are sprayed liberally over commercial crops.       Will get some pumpkin for them only, when next it is on market day special.   We eat a lot of it, especially made up as soup with a touch of ginger flavour to it.  

Cheers .......  

Mine prefer it cooked, I put it in the oven whole for about 50 mins , let it cool and then drop it in the pen when it hits the ground it breaks open for them. I've tried raw but it takes them ages to eat .
This is how I cook my pumpkin for soup too, it's so much easier to scoop out and has that roast flavour. Will try the ginger addition next time.

 

[Anniebee]

Hi AB, parts of Qld can get cold - not like your part of the country, but frosts are common in parts. I always remember hoping for a frost when I was a kid on my grandparents dairy farm in the South Burnett. The crunch under your feet.

I also remember waking up toasty warm in my swag outside Roma to move and hear the sound of cracking ice which had frozen over the top of me.

Cold as that, I prefer a dry heat.

Cheers

Used to get heaps of heavy frosts decades back when I was a kid, walking to school, crunching it underfoot. Great fun. Doesn't happen so much now, the frosts - but ice forms a lot everywhere, and on the roads nowadays after rains and rapid drops in temperature - and that can be dangerous. Not sure if the suburbs still get frosty lawns, we are largely under a high canopy of trees, so perhaps that's why there is less frost around. Iced over windows on cars though.

Still fascinates me that sunny Queensland can get such cold weather. I have to admit though, I loathe summers down here - especially if dry heat. Dangerous for where we live, in the hills east of Melbourne. However, if it continues to do its 'Queensland thing' this coming summer, as it has in recent years .... hot, very high humidity and lots of warm rain, I will settle for that, uncomfortable though it can be.

Cheers ......

 

[MyHaven]

This is not a great pic but this was while I was setting the door up. I had to do some cable tying of the wires that come in from the solar panel. Here you can see them hanging out the bottom. I had to do some minor coop mods to put the door in and then fill the gaps between the coop and the run, but that was relatively easy.

Looks great. Seeing that I can see how I could adapt to my set up. I am getting home in the dark and with foxes around I worry.

 

[MyHaven]

Used to get heaps of heavy frosts decades back when I was a kid, walking to school, crunching it underfoot.   Great fun.     Doesn't happen so much now, the frosts - but ice forms a lot everywhere, and on the roads nowadays after rains and rapid drops in temperature - and that can be dangerous.    Not sure if the suburbs still get frosty lawns, we are largely under a high canopy of trees, so perhaps that's why there is less frost around.   Iced over windows on cars though.    

Still fascinates me that sunny Queensland can get such cold weather.    I have to admit though, I loathe summers down here - especially if dry heat.   Dangerous for where we live, in the hills east of Melbourne.    However, if it continues to do its 'Queensland thing' this coming summer, as it has in recent years .... hot, very high humidity and lots of warm rain, I will settle for that, uncomfortable though it can be.  

Cheers ......  

Oh I had forgotten the frosted windscreens. To avoid it a hessian sack over it I think, and we weren't allowed to pour hot water on it if it were frosted. Oh those were the days.

Dry heat can be 10 degrees more comfortable than humidity. But yes, your country would be quite a worry for fires.